This kind of caught me off guard, because it wasn't really what I was expecting at all. It felt less like the fairy tale retelling that it is supposed to be and more like a regency novel with supernatural elements.
Nonetheless it was a very interesting and enjoyable read. I was very invested in the story and what would happen next, but it also dragged a bit at some parts.
I really liked the eerie atmosphere and characters.

T Kingfisher is my auto-buy / auto-read author and this book reiterates why. Cordelia is brilliant in this, though she is ignorant due to the way her sorcerer mother has raised her, and constantly controlling Cordelia has added to her naivety.

Evangeline is cruel and selfish piece of work, she uses cordelia and everyone around her to continue living comfortably at the expense of anyone in her way. Cordelia makes new connections in this story who really pull through for her in meaningful and courageous ways.

I was overjoyed when I received the arc, and I'm glad it met my expectations, even though the first few chapters felt a little dragging, possibly due to the introduction of a large number of characters and their in-depth development, which makes their distinct personalities quite strong.⠀
⠀
Cordelia's character development appeals to me. Her dread for her mother is well conveyed, And, imo, Evangeline is the absolute worst mother. Furthermore, Evangeline is the worst, most terrible witch!⠀
⠀
Hester, Penelope, Lady Strauss, and Richard add to the plot's intrigue, tension, and even humour. The hilarity in their interactions typically made me laugh, which lightened the tension when they had to fight the evil witch lol⠀
⠀
It is set in the Regency period, and the grim yet amusing atmosphere keeps the plot moving. Except for Cordelia, the characters in it are no longer young, which adds to its uniqueness. I could laugh, worry, and panic while reading, making me feel like I was one of these people. This is the second book by Kingfisher that I enjoyed, and it will not be the last. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

As always, T Kingfisher takes us to a fairy tale land, which turns out to be darker than any Brothers Grimm's story!

Cordelia is the sweetest protagonist, having been slowly worn down by her overpowering mother during the years. But when she ends up at a squire's house, thanks to his sister, Hester, and her friends, Cordelia's life takes a turn.

Dark, sometimes twisted, but also full of life and hope and light, this is a powerful story of good against evil, magic and sorcery, friends and found family. As ever, an excellent read from this author that I highly recommend!

3,5 stars
Jane Austin meets Agatha Christie and then turns into not sure what.
T. Kingfisher is an American who somehow managed to write a very British book, a very Jane Austin-like book with a setting inevitably reminisciting a British countryside from the XIXth century. Well done! However, Iḿ not sure how many readers expect to read a good fantasy tale rather than a social affair tale among the higher class filled with this upper English language, which might be beautiful to some, but irritable to others.
In the first 48% of the book we read repeatedly how awful Evangeline is, how she can do terrible things to others, but we see nothing. There is a rumor about the Parker family, in which the father killed with an axe his wife and daughters, but we don´t know any details and we aren´t sure if Evangeline has had anything to do with it. Only Cornelia has her doubts and suspicions, but no solid facts. Suddenly at 48% of the book something terrible happens, we have the first and only proof that the mother is the villain. Finally! So, we have Jane Austin in the first part, then we take a turn into Agatha Christie's murder mystery and at the very end, we get somehow messy a lá fantasy ending.
This construction doesn´t work. It doesn´t feel like a fantasy novel. Let`s add to it the unbelievable mother, who tells her daughter all her plans (which criminal tells a child ideas for the next crime?), is supposed to be this cruel but very smart villain, but instead comes as a grumpy boofon. Cordelia herself is not convincing either. She behaves like a victim of long-term abuse, which she is, yet she has almost no second thoughts about whether or not to betray her mother. It turns out that this fragile daughter hates her mother so much, that she is too afraid to speak but brave enough to take part in an action against her (just trying to avoid spoilers).
Oh, could someone explain to me what is going on with Falada? I don´t think I understood what is this creature. Actually, never mind.

Absolutely fantastic, as so many of Kingfisher's stories are. The sense of menace is palpable here, and I adored the characters, especially Hester. I ended up staying up until 4am to finish it.

Oh perfection.
Only Kingfisher can write a fairytale that ticks all the boxes for my inner child yet keeps me feeling like an adult.

A Sorceress Comes To Call tells the story from the perspective of Cordelia and Hester. When Cordelia's sorceress mother drags her across country in a scheme to marry a rich squire, she underestimates his shrewd spinster of a sister with righteous consequences.

I adored all of the characters in this novel, not just pure hearted Cordelia and the wonderfully no-nonsense Hester, but every side character to boot. Hester's friends, the butler, the maids. This is very much an all against one story as the entire estate and beyond battle against the hold Sorceress 'Doom' has over her daughter aswell as their Squire.
It takes a village.

In true Kingfisher fashion the novel is wholey uplifting whilst tackling dark subjects. The ladies save the men in this one and that's always a winner for me. They will not put on airs and they will not be told how to behave! Intelligent women with hilarious dry wit and a refusal to give up, no matter the powers they face.
Anyone with a beating heart would be taken in by Cordelia's plight and I was sunk in minutes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the world building, the cast and the plot- the most childlike fun I've had reading fantasy in a long time.

All the stars, please keep writing these!

A Sorceress Comes to Call is the latest T Kingfisher fantasy set novel, which comes with a distinct Regency Twist perfect for those bemoaning the two year wait for the next series of Bridgerton!

In this story Kingfisher explores family dynamics through the mother - daughter relationship, the sister - brother relationship and on a more romantic basis the past and present lovers interactions and relationships. Overlaid across this is the power and manipulation that when applied can truly distort relationships and transform what should be a beautiful supportive thing into something dark, controlling and terrifying.

When you mix this with the sharp, dry, sardonic humour of Kingfisher the outcome is a true delight and is further enhanced by the focus on more mature, capable and complex characters who truly represent thus sardonic and pragmatic view on life.

Hester, protagonist of the story is in her early 50’s, suffers with pain, maybe arthritis in her knee joints and is a remarkably intelligent, capable and pragmatic woman with a group of strong, supportive friends, including her ex lover Lord Evermore (who would marry her in an instant,) Imogen a terrible card shark and all round great friend and Penelope, the life and soul of the party. This group is such a mutually supportive and great friendship, that their conversation alone is a true form of entertainment, particularly as they join forces to fight Doom and rescue Doom’s daughter.

Much as I would love to tell you more, that path would lead to spoilers and truly that is the last thing you want as you are drawn into a world of Regency, romance, sorcery, spirits, ghosts and familiars!

If you’re looking for a read that will send a shiver down your spine, or a creeping chill down the back of your neck, definitely pick this book up! Kingfisher delivers creepiness, macabre and more than a few gasp moments in A Sorceress Comes to Call!

A solid, enjoyable T. Kingfisher romp. The narrative is split between two characters. The first is 14-year-old, terrified, downtrodden Cordelia, whose sorceress mother governs every blink of her existence, controlling even her body, as she pursues her goal of marrying a wealthy man. The second is solid, dependable, no-nonsense Hester, an unmarried fifty-year-old woman who lives with her wealthy, also unmarried brother. Naturally, brother catches the eye of Cordelia's mother, which brings their two worlds into orbit.

Cordelia's bits of narratives are a bit of a rough ride, because someone with that kind of history of abuse is going to spend a lot of time being passive and unquestioning. Hester's bits are a delight, and Hester's middle aged lady friends are just as delightful as she is--although, to my distress, they only have a couple of scenes together before plot interferes.

This book moves along briskly (I finished it in a day), but I think it lacks some of the zip and wit of the previous books. Largely that's because Cordelia is so dull. To be honest, I think Kingfisher's real strength is in zippy dialogue, rather than explorations of the psychological consequences of an abusive upbringing. Her White Rat romances feature the former, whereas this book tries to include some of the latter, to its detriment.

I read an eARC of this but then ordered a physical copy straight after reading. I am a huge fan of T.Kingfisher. One of my favourite authors of all time so I was already expecting to enjoy this and it did not disappoint!

This is a fantasy novel with a regency inspired setting centred around magic and manipulation. It really delves into family dynamics in multiple ways, mother/daughter tension, found family and a nurturing, supportive brother/daughter relationship. There’s a really contrast around how family can either drain you, or bring you joy depending on the power dynamics in the relationship. We see mutually beneficial connection juxtaposed with parasitical control.

This book is infused with T.Kingfisher’s signature dark humour. I loved the trio of middle aged female friends. Our hero Hester is 51 years old, breeds geese and has a bad knee. Her friends include a charismatic, scarred woman with bold fashion choices and a gossipy card player. The friendship between these three was delightful and they delivered some of the best lines in the book. I love this author’s ability to balance wit and violence, humour and horror for the perfect levels of tension.

I was absolutely riveted by this tale of spirits, sorcery and demons. I read this book in one sitting. This was such a fascinating look into sorcery where the main villain makes people obedient, essentially turning them into puppets. It’s so creepy for us to read and traumatising for the characters who experience it.

Another winner from T.Kingfisher! This was exciting, with wonderful prose and a brilliant macabre story. Read the acknowledgements for a look at T.Kingfisher’s history and influences!

Note; there was a time of my life when I volunteered with abuse children and the beginning of this novel is spot on describing some of them. It was quite disturbing and nearly DFNed as I felt emotionally affetected.
But my love for T. Kingfisher won as I could read her shopping list.
This is a very dark fantasy story, it should be a retelling of a Grimm's Goose Girl and there's some common elements, but this stand on its own and it's a good novel even if drags a time.
AT the end of the day it was a compelling and well plotted story that kept me hooked.
It's even less gritty than some of the most famous Grimm's stories.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was great as always from this author. I love a good dark fairytale retelling and this was very good. The writing, characters, setting and story were all top notch while it was dark but not too scary. Finished this in two days as it was very bingeable!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. It is known that I am a massive fan of T.Kingfisher, and this continues to be the case. This one is loosely based on Goose Girl, and I like that this reimagining maintains the dark vibe from the original Grimm fairy tale. Atmospheric writing has and continues to be a strength of the author. I also loved Cordelia as a main character in combination with older characters like Hester, it worked really well. Overall, a very satisfying read!

I don't believe T. Kingfisher could write anything even a shopping list that wouldn't engage me and have me reading their works again and again. A sorceress Comes to Call is filled with murder, mystery, secrets and more all in a regency styled setting but with T. Kingfisher's unique stamp. Get ready for horse familiars, sorceresses, found family and murder.

Inspired by the tale of the Goose girl, T.Kingfisher has taken this lessen known tale and created something solely hers. The use of the word reimagining in the marketing material is true to word, with Kingfisher having taken the bare bones of the tale and build upon it her own atmospheric tale. With a set of heroes you'll feel for every step of the way and who's character arcs are utter perfection to one of my most disliked and hated villains this tale has it all and honestly I'd read about this set of characters just going about day to day life in their manors.

A beautifully rendered retelling of The Goose Girl, A Sorceress Comes to Call is a triumph of warm character exploration, cosy vibes, and the kind of dark fairytale that T Kingfisher is now renowned for.

The themes it explores all too dark and all too human despite the magical setting - namely abusive relationships and family dynamics - but this is tempered with sincere sweetness and a coming of age tale that forms the backbone to the story, as well as a luscious, later-in-life Regency romance.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is charming beyond compare - the kind of work Austen or Heyer may have been compelled to write had they wished to include Cthulu horses in their works (their loss, truly). A dazzling effort all round.

T. Kingfisher has been one of my favourite, auto-buy authors for years, and I'm really excited to see her pull off another unique, dark, fairy tale retelling. To be honest, I didn't actually realise it was a retelling - a reimagining, as the blurb states, is perhaps a better description - until I went to write this review. Once you know, the elements are there, but the story stands completely on it's own as a clever, unique tale either way.

Continuing the (painful) honesty, I haven't adored the last couple of Kingfisher books I've read - A House with Good Bones and What Moves the Dead just weren't for me - but I never should have doubted. I know those really hit for a lot of readers but for my tastes, A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL is a real return to form!

I loved the way the story takes really dark, horrific elements and balances it out with humour and with the manor house, polite society setting. Kingfisher does horror really we when it's small and relatable, and A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL manages that perfectly. Some of the most chilling moments are when Cordelia feels betrayed by someone she trusts, or when her mother takes control of her actions (in this case literally - and in the opening paragraphs, so there's no spoilers - puppeting her body in magical 'obedience'). Cordelia's fear and the sense of secrecy and isolation build the atmosphere wonderfully.

There's also the expected Kingfisher madcap characters, which on paper always sounds like the books should be a way too farcical type of comedy to work for me, yet somehow always does. I adored both POV characters - Cordelia, who's sweet and biddable but trying so hard to be brave, and Hester, a fifty-year-old spinster with a bad knee, who breeds geese and does embroidery and has a sex-life. Imagine!?

I'm not sure I'd say I prefer A SORCERESS COMES TO CALL to Swordheart, which is my very favourite Kingfisher book, but it's a very different type of story, so it's not a true comparison anyway. I do think this is objectively one of her best works (to date, since her books seem to go from strength to strength, constantly making me shift my goalposts!) and definetly in my top three.

A five-star read! I can't wait to buy my own hardcover copy.

Ohhh Kingfisher does it again. A must-read author for me now. Haunting, humorous, whimsical, magical and utterly gripping, with a tingle of horror, her latest doesn't disappoint. The type of retelling only she could do.

An eerie retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, from bestseller T Kingfisher. The authoe is always a must read for me and this book does not disappoint. Clever, fun and utterly unputdownable.